


A child who read will be an adult who thinks.

by Zer_Smithe



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adults who don't lessen, Child Neglect, Childhood Trauma, First Years, Good Narcissa Black Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, Grey Harry, Harry is loved, Helpful Goblins, Ignorant kids, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, No Bashing, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pureblood Politics, Smart Children, Smart Harry, Wilder Porter as Harry Potter, Wilder and Juniper Twins, fred weasley - Freeform, wrong twin who lived
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-10-29 10:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10852389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zer_Smithe/pseuds/Zer_Smithe
Summary: My take on the infamous wrong-twin-who-lives and alive parents idea. Wilder and Juniper Porter are taking on their first year of Hogwarts with new friends (who refuses to admit he's a friend) Blaise Zambini and ( who won't leave them be) Fred Weasley. Yet they notice a stuttering Professor paying too much attention to an arrogant-boy-who-lives. The Porter twins have enough problems, like keeping a meddling Potions Master out of their past.  So they really don't need to deal with keeping an annoying boy alive. Also what happen to the boy who lived's twin brother. No bashing, other than slightly arrogant children and inept adults who don't lesson. Grey magic





	1. June

**Author's Note:**

> My take at the infamous wrong-twin-who-lived, without giving too much away I think I should mention 1. Harry is Wilder Porter, 2. The Porter twins grew up with completely non-magical parents, and 3.This is one slight change that affected everything kind of story.

The messy haired boy stood next to his twin sister, who was preparing to bolt at the first sign of trouble (and ready to forcibly drag him along if needed), as Professor Snape tapped on the bricks of the far wall in the alley with his slim fingers.  
Wilder didn’t know why they’d answered the door when the ‘Professor’ had knocked, and he had even less of an idea why they’d gone with him instead of locking the door/ starting dinner for when their parents came home from work. Maybe it was curiosity, or maybe it was because they knew they were different and wanted to know why strange things were always going on around them. (In reality, neither of them wanted to begin the mind numbing taste of cooking and were just looking for an excuse to get out of it.) So they’d followed the black clothed man, at a very generous distance of almost an entire block, as he leads them into a pub named ‘Leaky Cauldron’ and started hitting an assortment of bricks.  
Then to the twins utmost surprise the bricks, that had once been part of a solid wall, moved apart and open a doorway into a busy strip bustling with at least a hundred people dressed in colorful fabric. It was...well it was absolutely magical.  
As the twins walked in long strides to keep up with Professor Snape, Wilder silently thanked every god he’d ever heard of because he had his twin sister walking next to him. Snape had explained it wasn’t often a ‘muggle’ family had a magical child, and it went without saying that it was unheard of for a ‘muggle’ family to adopt two magical children from completely different bloodlines.  
While Juniper Porter and Wilder Porter were ‘twins’, they didn’t actually share any more blood with each other than they might with a complete stranger in Diagon Alley. They just happen to be found together by their parents, who desperately wanted children but couldn’t conceive properly, in an orphanage by the ocean side when they were around seven years old.  
The family had fallen in love with each other at nearly first sight, their parents accepted them as twins (because even back then they were inseparable) and raised them accordingly. The day the group meet, twenty- fourth of December was deemed the twin’s birthday due to neither having a proper one. It was the entire family's favorite day.  
It wasn’t until they got older that their parents (and themselves) begin to notice the strange things that happened to them almost daily. Jumping off of the dining room chairs and staying suspended in the air just a second too long, disappearing for hours at a time while playing hide and seek, and the toys of a bullies suddenly lighting up on fire.  
Everyone in primary school had called them ‘freaky’ and ‘weird’, but before the taunting got too far the twin’s mother had come in like the tornado of a lady she was, and withdrawn them from classes and begun their homeschooling careers.  
“This is our world,” Juniper muttered softly, a small smile gracing her excited face. “There are people like us here.”  
Wilder nodded, “This is part of our world, but the rest of our world will always be at home with our parents.”  
“That was a given.”  
It was a nice beginning.  
The twins walked slower, at least compared to Snape who’s legs seemed to be a mile long, connected by hooked elbows as they moved through people and pointed to things that caught their attention. Which, to Snape’s annoyance, it seemed like everything caught their attention to varying degrees.  
Soon, but not soon enough, Snape was able to lead the twins towards someone no doubt more eager to deal with them. With a quick introduction to a woman with red hair, the introduction consisting of, “Porter twins, muggle born, and *sigh* without their parents.”  
Snape was gone.  
“Hi,” The women greeted, a shining light in her green eyes as she tipped her head towards the sun. “I’m Lily Evans, and I’m a professor at Hogwarts. I will be teaching you charms until third year.”  
Juniper bobbed her head in understand, she didn’t speak often (to people other than her family) and absolutely never talked to strangers.  
“I’m Wilder Porter and this is my twin sister, Juniper Porter. You can call us Wild and Juni if you’d like.”  
*  
*  
*  
Juniper and Wilder were shuffled from person to person. Never spending more than twenty minutes with each person they were presented to, with the exception of Professor Snape, before their (sometime reluctant) guide were needed elsewhere.  
They’d meet ‘just-call-me-Lily’ Evans, Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, ‘I’m-just-James’ Potter, Remus Lupin, ‘I’m-a-cool-adult-Sirius’ Black, Molly and Arthur Weasley, and ‘Keeper-of-Keys’ Hagrid within two hours.  
Their excitement of being in this new world and understanding that everyone was busy was well gone and they refused to be shifted off to another person. So they did the most rational thing they could think of, they walked away while Hagrid’s back was turned and he was talking about unicorns.  
Even though they’d been with many people, they had yet to actually enter any buildings and get the information they could use. While they were politely ‘interested’ in unicorns they didn’t really think it would be important to them down the line.  
“Let’s go to that building first,” Juni said, pointing to a large building near the end of the ally made of elegant gray bricks and a staircase of long stairs. “It looks promising.”  
“Okay, but after I want to check out the bookstores.”  
“Sounds fair.”  
The twins walked up the massive staircase, taking passing moments to admire the view of the alley from higher up and catch their breath. It took them almost fifteen minutes, by Juniper’s watch, or twenty minutes, by Wilder’s watch, to reach the top of the stairs and slowly make their way into the building.  
Inside was a rather large lobby with high marble ceilings and cold stone floors. Lined up neatly were twelve dark wooden desks and comfortable red velvet chairs. The most interesting thing about the building, at least to the twins, was that it seemed to be completely empty.  
With nothing else to do and not wanting to walk right back down the stairs they’d climbed, Wilder and Juniper made their way to one of the counters.  
To their surprise a goblin appeared behind the counter, snarling slightly at the two and brandishing sharp teeth.  
“Children,” The goblin snarled easily. “How might Gringott’s help you today.”  
“We’ve never actually been here.”  
“Here? As is Gringott or-”  
“My brother and I, only learned about magic today. This is our first time near a magical community.” Juniper explained as she stood behind the velvet chair, Wilder making a comfortable place for himself on the chair. “We’re Juniper Porter and Wilder Porter.”  
“I’m Kriftoran, Gringott is a goblin-run bank and it never hurts to have a bank account. How about we set you up with one, a shared account all you need to do in answer some questions.”  
“I don’t see any harm.” Wilder shrugged, as Juniper watched the goblin carefully.  
“Are you two siblings?”  
“We were both adopted, we’ve been raised as twins even though we come from different bloodlines.”  
Kriftoran looked up the paperwork, letting his eyes wander over each of the twins a hard second. “Have either of you heard of a blood adoption?”  
“No,” Juniper answered simply.  
“It’s a practice that has fallen out with most of Wizardkind, but it could allow you two to share blood. For the right fee, the two of you could share blood.” Kriftoran explained as he leaned back into his chair with a sigh. “Seven Galleons is the fee.”  
The twins looked at the conversion chart (muggle currency into wizarding currency) that was on the desk and both signed in unhappy unison, both knowing their family wouldn’t be able to afford it. Neither of the Porter’s made much money and would probably find it hard enough to send the twins off to school, much less worry about the cost of a blood adoption.  
“We can’t afford it,” Wilder muttered before looking up at Kriftoran hopefully. “Unless we can work it off.”  
The ugly grin the goblin suddenly grew was enough to make Juniper run for the hills, and she would have if she didn’t trip over the leg of a chair when she turned.  
Juniper was just a little paranoid.  
*  
*  
*  
Yes, they could work off the cost.  
All they needed to do was sign a worker contract, which just promised an agreed amount of money/ labor for the blood adoption.  
Kriftoran expected the twins to work three hours at the bank every day for a week. Which wasn’t that bad, all they needed to do was light cleaning, deliver mail around Diagon Alley for the bank, and provide tea for waiting customers. They also had to read two books, which Gringotts loaned them, one on the bank itself and the other on Goblin etiquette before their first day.  
It was dark by the time the twins left the bank and most of the people in Diagon Alley were gone. No one noticed or seemed to care that the twins had disappeared.


	2. July-August

Author’s points: ‘X’ is a stand in for each, so 3x can be read as 3 each. ‘*’ Are the twins markings is they have already gotten something. Also three initials (so either W.W.P or J.S.P) indicate only one twin got this item.. Finally is you see a point under a number starting with an ‘-’, that means the twin deviated from the setlist (and a description of what they got instead) or are explaining what they got for their own memory’s benefit.  
\----I am a line break  
‘1. Uniforms: Three sets of plain work robes (3x)*  
Extra(bought with the money Aunt Audrey sent us for schooling; we’ll need to send her a personal ‘Thank You Note’ before we leave):   
-Casual Robes navy blue (2, W.W.P)*  
-Casual Robes tan/brown (2, J.S.P)*  
2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear (x)*  
-An awesome black cotton bucket hat with the Hogwart’s insignia placed on the front (W.W.P)- “Because the pointed hat looks stupid!”  
-An awesome black cotton bucket hat with the Hogwart’s insignia placed on the front (J.S.P)- “I wasn’t disagreeing, I just asked where you found it so I could buy one!”   
3.One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) (x)*  
4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)*  
-Tan winter cloak with gold fastenings (J.S.P) -“Because I don’t like black and silver makes my skin break out...I don’t care what the school says...I’m getting the coat I want, Wilder.”-  
-Black cloak with silver fastening (W.W.P)- “Because the school asked for black and I don’t care if my skin breaks out...I don’t care if it’s not practical...I’m getting the coat the list says, Juniper.”-   
*All clothes have either been embroidered on the pocket with the initials W.W.P (for Wilder Wen Porter) or J.S.P (for Juniper Sparrow Porter)

Course Books:  
The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk (x)*  
A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot (x)*  
Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling (x)*  
A Beginner’s Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch (x)*   
One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore (x)*  
Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger (x)*  
Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander (x)*  
The Dark Forces: a Guide to Self- Protection by Quentin Trimble (x)*

Other Equipment  
1 wand (x)*  
‘W.W.P Wand, Blackthorn Wood/ Dittany Stalk Core/ 12’ Length  
‘J.S.P Wand, Pine Wood/ Black Coral/ 14’ Length  
1 cauldrons (pewter, standard size 2) (x)*  
1 sets glass or crystal phials (x)*  
1 telescope*  
W.W.P a golden telescope  
J.S.P a bronze telescope  
1 set brass scales (x)*’

“So, do we have everything we needed for school?” Juniper asked, looking over her brother’s shoulder at the list he had carefully scrawled in his journal. The young girl was happy to see the multiple *, which indicated things they’d bought and the way her brother had actually written bits of their conversations out. It was nice to know that when the twins were older and were looking back on their life there would be a small glimpse of current selves within the pages of Wilder’s journal.  
Wilder hummed contently, gently pulled his sister closer into him by way of their connected elbows. “I think we’ll have enough left over to both get a familiar. Any thought on what you might like to have?”   
“-” Juni opened her mouth to respond, but just as quickly shut it when she noticed a familiar ‘just-call-me-Lily’ walking towards them...with a pack of orange haired people who looked very similar to the Molly and Arthur Weasley they’d also had the ‘pleasure of meeting’ almost two weeks ago.  
“Wilder? Juniper?”   
“Hello, Professor Evans.” Wilder offered politely, making sure to bow the appropriate depth and amount of time, hearing the goblin’s sharply hissed words ‘show you respect them by bowings but don’t bow too long or they will think they are superior to you’ in the back of his mind. “Shopping with family?”  
The twins noticed the way ‘just-call-me-Lily’’s smile suddenly became tight and forced, as she looked the two over carefully. “What nice manners you two have, where did you learn them?”  
“That’s something I’d like to know also,” A new voice spoke, completely hidden from view by the assembled red (orange?) headed people. Suddenly, as if Moses parted the red sea, fair women stepped out in very ornate and well fit robs. Grabbing all the twin’s attention, as she was the odd one out with black hair in the mass sea of orange. Softly offering a hand in front of the twins. “ Lady Narcissa Malfoy.”  
Juni, who first regained her bearings at the sudden presence, recognized the movement from a point in the Goblin’s training. It was a show of respect between high borns in classic wizard society, a way of marking someone as an equal despite age, preference, colour, or blood. This was a statement to society (or at least the fraction that still used these ways) and an offer of allegiance.  
With care, Juni pressed a light kiss on the back of Narcissa’s outstretched hand. “Pleasure my Lady...we learned our manners from the Goblins at Gringotts. We’ve been working for them...for about two weeks.”  
Ignoring the harshness -probably from not using it often- of her own voice, Juni tried her best to offer a light -taking care it did not come across as timid- smile to Lady Malfoy. Wilder soon offered his own smile and a short kiss.  
“Please call me Narcissa, what would your lovely names be?”  
“We are the Porter twins,” Wilder noted two seemingly identical -but even though they looked the same, seemed to be so different- orange haired boys share a curious look. “I am Wilder, and this is my dear sister Juniper.”  
“Pleasure.”  
“Likewise, Narcissa.”  
The air turned cold suddenly, and it didn’t slip past Porter's notice that the change in temperature happened when ‘I’m-just-James’ Potter entered the group. Fallowing behind ‘I’m-just-James’ Potter was ‘I’m-a-cool-adult-Sirius’ Black, Remus, ‘Keeper-of-keys’ Hagrid, and Professor Snape (who didn’t seem to really be with the coming group, but rather to have simply been passing by and noticed the assembled group).  
“Porter twins.” The Potion Master greeted the two eleven-year-olds, who would have happily been swallowed up by the ground then continue to be in so many stranger’s foci. “Narissa, lovely evening don't you think.”  
The temperature, that had been fridged since ‘I’m-just-James’ Potter entered, dropped, even more, when Narcissa and ‘just-call-me-Lily’ made eye contact. Two things were plain, One was that the twins had no idea the history shared between all these people, and Two they needed to get out quickly.  
“Well, nice day to you all. It was exceptional to meet you, Narcissa. Too bad Juni and I must leave, we’ve got light shopping to finish before we start our walk home.” Wilder explained evenly, making a show of connecting arms with his sister to leave.   
~~~I am another line break, fear me~~  
Despite being raised by a devoted Catholic pastor since they were nine, Juni and Wilder were far from being saints.  
So the second they left the large group’s sight they’d sprinted into Gringotts like they were being chased by something ready to kill. Took a moment to quickly ask (because God/Jesus/Magic?/Whatever help you if you demand something from a Goblin -in their bank no less- ) a teller for access to the large network of tunnels under the bank and that spread through the undergrounds of Diagon Alley.  
Not many people knew about the tunnels because few humans work for Gringotts and those few were something called curse breakers -who would have no reason to ever be in the tunnels-. The twins knew about the tunnels because they’d been working for the Goblins doing odd jobs, first to cover their blood adoptions and then money to buy their supplies for the coming year.  
While the work was usually physically tiring, it came with many perks. They made twenty-five gallons each for every day they worked, their work days were only five hours in length, they became familiar -and built relationships- with most of the goblins, they got multiple crash courses in different wizarding customs/etiquette, and books were often given to them for one reason of another for free. The biggest perk of all though was learning the less know secrets of the bank.   
Secrets, like the before mentions tunnels which were built because of bombings in World War 2. Now the tunnels were rarely used, and the Goblin nation had no problem letting the Porter twins have free run of the tunnels for the time being.   
After being waved forward the twins ran again, this time using the tunnels to lessen (spy) on the group of mostly orange haired people they’d previously left.   
If they were worried about hearing the group, they didn’t need to be. Yelling was heard almost the second they entered the tunnels and despite not having proof, the twins knew the loudest voice belonged to ‘I’m-just-James’ Potter. Making it almost too easy to find a water drain that was close enough to the group so the twins could have a -restricted- view of the people above.  
“-And now you are recruiting innocent Muggle-Borns! How lower can you get Malfoy? Already had them brought to the Goblins for a blood adoption.”  
“I can assure you,” Narcissa snapped in an aristocratic short voice. “I knew nothing about Wilder and Juniper until I saw them exhibited better manners at seemingly eleven years of age, then you yourself show as a grown man Lord Potter. I know nothing of them having had a blood adoption or what reasons they might have had for getting one.”  
Snape sighed loudly “Though it’s none of your business or mine, the Porter twins to my understanding are twins in every way but blood. They might have simply requested a blood adoption so they could share a common family blood line.”  
“Defending the little Death Eater whore?”  
Wilder growled at the use of such a derogatory and degrading term. No one should speak so lowly to another person, let alone a Lady like Narcissa Malfoy, in such a bad light. It was stupid and idiotic, who someone slept with was their own business and wasn’t something for others to judge.  
Juniper, who would usually be just as upset about the ‘W’ word being used, was instead caught on another word. Death Eater, despite not being able to place it the word sounded familiar…  
“Do you think we should help Narcissa?” Wilder asked his twin after he’d cooled down, lessening only half eared as the people above insulted the monarch of the Malfoy family. “She did mark us as equals…”  
“Step back,” Juniper instructed, pulling a small box of matches from one of her pockets. Carefully, the girl lights a match and used the flame to light a page of the paper on fire.  
Thick smoke poured over the page and into the streets above, causing the group to separate with departing sneers. For a brief second, Narcissa looked down and saw the twins who could only give the women their best half-hearted looks of innocent.   
“Do you think we did the right thing?” Wilder eventually asked as the twins started the walk back to the bank. “Even if Narcissa becomes our ally, it wasn’t our place to get involved. We don’t know the history.”  
“I think what’s right or wrong depends on the person you ask, everyone will always have their own justifications.”  
“...”  
“I saw the quote on the bottom of a soda cap,” Juni admitted. “But it works here, also we don’t know the history because we weren’t involved in it. So we can only judge the present.”  
“You are starting to sound like a fortune cookie.”  
“Let’s just go get our familiars.”


	3. Why is the Head Master here?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why is the Headmaster here? Oh right, because he's insane and thinks they need saving.

‘Mx. J.S Porter and Mx. W.W Porter  
Attached to this letter you will find a bottomless charmed bag.  
This bag, along with the items inside, is the Goblin Nation’s way of investing in J. S. Porter and W. W. Porter’s future.   
Items including (along with who they are intended for):  
Beginners Ritual Magic by Kenton Arnoldson (J.S. Porter)  
Magical Symbols by Sir Frazer (J.S. Porter)  
Healing Basics by John Williams (W. W. Porter)  
Magical Herbs by Waterhouse (W.W. Porter)  
We wish for the both of them to complete their first year of Hogwarts in high standing. You will hear from us again.  
Kriftoran  
Porter Twins Account Manager’  
*  
*  
*  
Wilder Porter felt like his world was falling apart.   
Correction, Wilder Porter knew his world was falling apart and he couldn’t do anything to fix it.   
He was not prepared to fully enter the magical world.   
He was not prepared for school to start.   
He was not prepared to build a name that he and his sister could be proud of.  
He was just an eleven years old boy!  
Still just a child!  
He wasn’t perfect, Juni wasn’t perfect either but she owned her imperfection much better, but he didn’t want to let people down. What was he suppose to do-  
“Wilder!” It took a second, but almost like a hit of cold water, the boy noticed his mother Sue shaking him lightly by his shoulders. “You need to calm down. I don’t know what’s got you, and Juni, in such moods but you need to let it go. I’m not sending the two of you off, worried about your mental states! Dear God, Juniper Sparrow Wilder respond to your father!”  
It took a minute, and a bit of harsher shaking and pinching from their father Chris, but Wilder could see his sister’s glowing silver eye clear of its fog. Though it still looked hollow and unpleasant.  
“What is wrong?” Chris asked, using one of his large hands to smooth out the top of Wilder’s hair. “Aren’t the two of you excited to be off to your new school.”  
“Too much,” Juni answered simply, staring off into the crowds of people around them. “We shouldn’t be having this conversation here.”   
It was stupid, in both twin’s opinion, that their parents waited to have this conversation at the train station. They could have just as easily asked them what was wrong in their house or in the car. Any place would have been better than a crowded platform, where they were likely to receive some kind of audience or judgment. As it was, Chris was receiving glares from some of the gathered adults who felt his pinching and shaking of Juni was bordering on violence.   
Honestly, while the twins did love their parents, they had terrible timing when it came to important conversations.  
“Too much what?”  
“Everything!” Wilder bristled, “I feel like everyone is watching us, waiting for us to fail and prove we aren’t...good enough.”  
“Who cares about them?” Sue asked seriously. Ideally twisting a necklace the twins had made her around a slender finger, painted macaroni and cheap beads making a soft clicking noise as they hit each other.“The only thing that matters is that you two do your best! If anyone says differently...well simply send them in my direction and I’ll set them straight on just why it’s none of their business.”  
“Okay.”  
The family continued on to the entrance of platform 9 ¾ until Sue and Chris, who didn’t believe they should enter the train platform, decided they’d walked them far enough and that they were at an appropriate spot for the family to part.  
The parting words between the family were short but heartfelt.  
...And not what Wilder was focused on.  
“What are you thinking about?” Wilder asked while the twins were still far enough from the entrance to platform 9 ¾ to not be noticed by any possible wizards they were close enough that their parents didn’t give them a second thought. Unlike their parents the twins knew proper moments to bring up problems, thank you very much.  
“We’re pawns,” Juniper lets a silence form for a short minute before continuing. “Undesirable but useful. The ‘Light’ side sees us as the muggle-born who took too quickly to ‘out of date’ practices and willingly performed a ‘barbaric ritual'. On the same coin, we are young, innocent, and ignorance to the dark and are inclined to our ‘obviously’ none magical heritage.  
The ‘Dark’ side, or the Death Eaters if you will see us for our willingness to socialize with ‘dirty’ creatures and our decision to demean ourselves by working under those same creatures. Yet our saving grace is the connections and network we’ve formed inside the banking system, that has been previously untapped, not to mention our ‘preference’ for ‘dark’ blood rituals.”  
“How…”  
Juniper pulled a crumpled letter from inside her jacket pocket, dark green wax seal obvious and telling. “She didn’t sign it, but she all but spelled it out for us. It’s a warning, not from a high lady but a mother, to two children who’re in possible danger. We’ve been noticed by two sides in an upcoming war and she recommends keeping our heads down.”  
Wilder nodded, suddenly feeling much worse and understanding a larger threat looming over the two of them. “So that’s what we’ll do.”  
“For now at least. There will be a time when we’ll have to pick a side.”  
“What a ‘wonderful’ way to start our schooling careers.”  
*  
*  
*  
Believe it or not, the universe decided the twins were having it too easy and decided to make the start of their schooling careers even more...wonderful.  
The real show started when the twins entered the magical side of the platform and, thanks to planning and nervousness, they were three hours early for departure. The train hadn’t even shown up. Which wasn’t admittedly a problem for them because they had each other, books, and a packed lunch to keep them busy for the time being.  
“Well,” A soft and pleasant voice hummed. “You two must be the Porter twins, I’ve heard so much about. All good things of course”   
Before them studying them behind half mooned glasses was Albus ‘Way too many names’ Dumbledore. Along with him was a few Professors, including (but not limited to) Professor Snape, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Evans.  
“What is it the two of you are reading? School books already?” The headmaster asked politely. “I’m sure you’ll make fine additions to Ravenclaw if that’s a case. You’d even be delighted to know the head of the house is Professor Flitwick.”  
‘He’s a half-goblin’ was heavily implied, and the tactlessness nearly caused the twins to flinch. The goblins they’d come to know would not have stood for such tactlessness, and wars were started over much less in the goblin nation.   
“They’re not school related.” Wilder offered, after a long moment of silence. “They’re books the Goblin Nation gifted us. Mostly old ones that they had no use for.”  
Juniper silently watched, only half listening to her brother's useless babbling, as a few of the Professor’s faces showed discomfort but a few showed something close to interest. She noted the ones who seemed most interested were Professor McGonagall and a Professor (?) who smelled heavily of garlic. Interesting…  
“My book is on magical plants that could be used for healing, and I think Juniper’s book is on the basics of magic casting.”  
Those were half truths. Wilder’s book was on magical plants and a few of them could be used for healing but most of the (more interesting) sections were actually about the plants with more deadly uses. Juniper’s book; which was completely written in Italian to her well-hidden agony because she had to look up every other word; was about magic casting but the fact it was explaining how to properly cast without a wand was left out.  
“Those sound very interesting,” Professor Flitwick offered. “Maybe you’ll be okay with lending them to me once you're done.”  
“Maybe,” Wilder offered uneasily. “We’d have to ask the Goblin nation, of course, they’re very picky on who they allow seeing their books. Even though they ‘gave’ these books to us, it implied they expect them back when we die. I’m doubtful they’d allow their knowledge to be passed down in our bloodline as an heirloom.”  
Juniper watched the way Professor Flitwick’s smile became very forced and ignored her brother’s conversation with Professor Sprout completely. The short man (?)’s copper skin became an ashen colour at the same time his ears turned an interesting shade of purple.   
“Oh!” Dumbledore suddenly exclaimed. “Look at that, Lee Jordan and his family. I’m sure the three of you will get along lovely if you're placed in Gryffindor of course. He’s the third year and he’s already friends with a set of twins.”  
Dumbledore walked away, going to greet a family who’d just entered the platform with such eagerness it made the twins a ‘little’ uncomfortable.  
They found much to worry about with Dumbledore’s words. He implied they’d be a good fit in Ravenclaw; the smart house; but then decided to introduce them to an older Gryffindor; the brave house. There was also the implication that they wouldn’t stay friends if they were sorted into any house other house than Gryffindor. Not to mention that the headmaster seemed to think that all twins were alike, and it took special kinds of people to befriend their kind.  
Between worried glances towards each other and practicing the breathing exercise their mother swore would fight off any kind of panic attack they might feel coming on; the twins didn’t notice a kind boy with skillfully braided hair walk up to them until he was in front of them.  
The boy offered a warm smile, “I’m Lee Jordan, it’s nice to meet you.”  
(Wilder didn’t know if it was the power of the boy's smile or the fact he wasn’t receiving enough oxygen to his brain, but the boy felt his stomach do a weird flip-flop motion that he couldn’t say he hated.)  
(Juni could only shake her head as her brother nearly passed out just shaking Lee Jordan’s hand.)  
(Lee could only watch on fascinated as the two firsties hide obvious ((At least to Lee, who’d seen his father have a few)) panic attacks behind easy smiles.)


	4. Sorting

‘Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.~  
You can keep your bucket hats black,  
Your top hats sleek.  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.~  
There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.~  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;~  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;~  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
if you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;~  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.~  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!~  
Juniper Porter knew all about the houses of Hogwarts. Anyone would if they’d had the foresight (Read: had the Goblin’s scream at you) to read the first chapter of Hogwarts: A History. Though she hadn’t actually put much thought in what house she might be sorted into until she was waiting in line to be sorted.  
Slytherin. Gryffindor. Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw.  
They all had their own perks.  
Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were ‘in between houses’ with no true allegiance to either of the political parties involved in the pending war. Slytherin was almost exclusively ‘dark’, to Gryffindor’s almost exclusive ‘light’.  
As much as Hogwarts was a school, the Goblins had explained, it was also a place to make lifelong political allies. It would do the twins well to pick a house they felt they could thrive in. Kriftoran, the Porter Account Manager, had alluded that the more allies the twins found the easier life would be for them in the future.   
So the only question was, which house would the twins find the most allies in.  
Gryffindor was a house that would easily take on the twins as ‘charity cases’, seeing them as young doe eyed children who just needed the right guides into the magical world. Hufflepuff would be a house where the twins could likely gain the loyalty of allies, true allies who would eventually respect the children enough to die for them. Ravenclaw is a house where all the brightest minds were collected, a ‘one stop shop’ to meet people who’d be found in the history books of future generations. Slytherin could be a great house, it would be the best place to find fellow children soldiers who were itching to prove themselves to their parents.  
“Porter, Juniper.”  
With the fake grace taught by the goblins, Juniper sat on the stool and resigned to letting a piece of cloth with a few stitches decide her future. The hat had barely rested on her head before a shout of ‘Slytherin’ filled the silent hall.  
It was decided, Juni thought as her eyes connected with her brother’s matching gray eyes, they’d both be in Slytherin. Because let it be known, if the orphanage nuns and twelve possible new families couldn’t split their duo up, then magic didn’t even stand a chance against them.   
She stood tall in front of her assigned table, passively ignoring the whispers between her new housemates as the sorting hat was dropped on her brother’s curly brown hair. The hall was silent for exactly two-hundred and ninety seconds, in which time Wilder’s face was twisted into a determined look before a firm-if not dejected ‘Slytherin’ was muttered.  
“Are you ready?” Wilder breathed softly into his sister’s ear, enjoying the way their housemates moved as far away, without making it too obvious, from the twins as possible. “This is the beginning.”  
“Time to take over the world.” The female declared softly, watching the last boy Zambini be sorted into their house. Hiding no small amount of amusement behind an indifferent look, that the goblins had grilled into her, as the lean boy took a seat across from the twins.   
“Why would we want the world?”  
“Because the Goblins will pay us a very pretty penny for it.”  
Wilder smothers a snort in his drink, pumpkin juice, before turning to his sister. "You are insane."  
"I'm a Slytherin."  
Line Break~~  
Minerva McGonagall was sad to see two new students, whom she dearly wished to be in Gryffindor, sitting at the Slytherine dining table whispering tentatively to one another. Both were either oblivious or uncaring, the latter seems more likely, that their new house had already started ostracizing them. There was at least three seat space on either side of the pair and only one student willing to even sit across from them.  
The Porter twins seemed like darling children, who were intelligent, resourceful, and held a captivating magical air around them. It wasn't every day two such promising students walked into Hogwarts and it seemed such a waste for them to have to endure their own houses' prejudice.   
'One thing for sure,' McGonagall thought. 'I won't let their peers in Gryffindor treat them badly. They are only children after all. I'll also have to make it a point to offer my assistance to them after class one day.'   
"Such a poor thing," Lily Potter whispered softly, eyeing the twins softly. "They would have thrived wonderfully in Ravenclaw. They would have probably found Filius such a comforting present after working with the Goblin Nation all summer. He could have shown them a kinder side of a Goblin."  
Severus Snape merely glanced at his two newest charges before returning his attention to a conversation he was having with Pomona Sprout. "They will do just fine in Slytherin. The hat obviously found Slytherine the best place for the two of them."  
"It's too bad they will go dark."  
No one said a word at the teacher's table, as each facility member made a conscious effort to ignore James Potter's words.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own Harry Potter.


End file.
